Riley
by CaraCat
Summary: When Riley Ace was five she was abducted and held for ransom. She was tortured for months before her family finally paid the ransom and she got to go back. Still, eleven years hasn't erased the scars covering her body and Riley can't help but think, "Who could ever love me? Who could ever love a girl with scars and burns?" Imprint story. (Co-written with JCreader)
1. Prolog

Prolog

"Miss Hannah look at this!" Riley Ace said, pointing at her sand castle. "That's nice, Riley," her nanny answered without turning away from the man she was talking to. "But you didn't even look," Riley muttered. Riley turned around and started walking back to the sandbox. "Hey Riley," she heard someone whisper. She looked around for the source of the voice. "Over here!" it said and she followed it over to the bushes. A man was standing there. He bent down to her level. "How do ya know my name?" she asked. "I heard your nanny say it," he answered. She nodded. That was a good answer. "Do you like puppies?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. "Well I have one. It's just he ran away. Will you help me find him?" the man asked. Riley knew she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers let alone go away with them, but this man obviously needed her help. Besides, she wanted to see the puppy. "Ok," she said with a smile. He took her hand and led her away from the park. When they were far enough away he quickly pulled a rag out of his coat pocket and placed it over her mouth. She struggled for a few seconds before going limp. He lifted her up and made his way over to a car. It had been easy.

**What do you think? NEED FEEDACK! Follow and review! If I get 2 reviews I'll update. **

**~Cara **


	2. Chapter 1

`Chapter 1

I rubbed one of the silvery white scars on my wrist. This is a good thing. Moving here, that is. No one knows what happened. No one is going to look at you that way. I adjusted the black sunglasses that covered the burns around my eyes. Rub. Adjust. Rub. Adjust. Everything is going to be better here. Of course I'm just quoting my mother. We should've moved years ago, she says. After the "accident" they fired the nanny and became stay at home parents devoting every second of every day to me. Reporters would flood the house and they would have to call the police to get them to leave. There were pictures of me on magazine covers. Ransom Paid, Riley Ace Back Home. Ace Daughter Safe and Sound. Those words were everywhere. Maybe I was back home, but I didn't feel safe. I was so scared that he would come and get me again. The scars and the burns covering my body were constant reminders of what happened. I couldn't leave the house without hearing, "Is that the Ace girl? Look at her face! Do you see her arms?"

This is a little town were moving to. Maybe if I'm lucky no one will notice me. No one will be able to tell who I am. If I wear my sunglasses and my long sleeved shirts and my jeans no one will stare at me. They won't be able to tell. Maybe I'll be happy here. "Were here!" Dad announced. They had already moved our stuff to this new house. All I had was a little bag that held some of the things that I didn't want the movers to touch. I pulled open the door and leaped out. I lifted my glasses a bit and surveyed the house. It was a huge, three storied white house with a white picket fence surrounding it. Pretty. "Rye your room is the last one on the right. Third floor," mom told me. I nodded and took off. I counted the stairs as I ran. One…two…three…four…five…six. Fifty two steps later and I was in my new room. It was nice. The walls were painted a deep blue, my favorite color, the floor white, smooth, and shiny. On one side of the room was a loft bed with a white desk underneath. On the other side was a flat screen TV that had a dark blue couch across from it. Next to the TV was a bookshelf chalk full of my favorite books. Next to my bed was a walk in closet. Across from me was a sliding glass door and if I walked through it I'd be on a balcony.

I set my bag down and went over to the glass door, sliding it open and stepping onto the balcony. The balcony overlooked our backyard. At the edge of our backyard was a forest. Pretty. Forks is very pretty. "Rye, do want to go look around with me?" I heard a familiar voice ask. Rebecca I turned around to look at my sister, "Sure," I answered. I adjusted my sunglasses and followed her down the fifty-eight stairs. She grabbed mom's keys and headed out the door. "Were going to look around town!" Becca yelled and mom was there in a second. "Henry isn't here yet. I think I should come with you two. Or maybe you just shouldn't go. I mean, we just got here. Don't you think you two should take some time to settle down?" she said in a rush. Henry is our body guard. Or more of my body guard. "We don't need Henry and were going to be fine without you. It's Forks, nothing is going to happen here," Becca said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door. "I still don't think…" mom was saying but Becca cut her off, "Bye Mom!" she yelled and slammed the door closed. She looked down at me, "Go, go, go! Hurry!" she yelled and dashed into the car. I rolled my eyes and followed her.

Becca is seventeen, one year older than me. She was at her little friend's birthday party when the "accident" happened. We're not allowed to say kidnapping or abduction in our house. It's always the "accident". I don't know why they insist we call it that. It wasn't an accident. He meant to do it. I shook my head and got into the car. Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about it. It's over and it's not going to happen again. "I say we go down to the beach. Mom told me about it. It's on some Indian reservation. Guess what it's called!" Becca ordered. "What?" I asked. "La Push! Hahaha! La Push and Forks! Who came up with these names?" she asked, laughing. I adjusted my sunglasses and smiled. Becca looked over at me. "Why do you wear them?" she asked. I sighed, "You know why, Becca," I answered and she shook her head. "So no one sees the burns? So what?" she asked. "Remember what people used to say?" I asked. She shrugged, "It doesn't matter what they say. It matters what you think," she told me. She plans on being a physiologist. "It matters what they think," I muttered.

People always say it doesn't matter what others think about you, it only matters what you think about yourself, but we all know that isn't true. Of course there are a select few, like my sister, who don't care what people think about them. "We're here," she said and she parked the car. I flung open the door and stepped outside. It was cloudy and cold here. Back in California it was sunny and hot every day so people never questioned my sunglasses. Here though… Becca grabbed my hand. "Come on Riley," she said and pulled me onto the sand. I looked around. There some boys dressed in thick clothing showing off for a group of girls. There was a mom watching as her kids ran into the water then ran back to her screaming that it was too cold. The second they finished screaming that there were never going to go back into the water they were racing back in.

Two boys caught my eye. Not only were they tall, dark and handsome but they were shirtless. I adjusted my glasses. Why on earth were they shirtless? It's forty degrees Fahrenheit out here. They have to be freezing! "Look at them!" Becca whispered to me, "Talk about gorgeous." I snorted. "Talk about hyperthermia," I whispered back. One of them was holding the hand of a little girl. She looked like she was five. Suddenly I couldn't breathe. I knew he probably wasn't taking here. They looked alike, so he was probably just her older brother. But still…. "Riley! Rye calm down," Becca said, shaking me, "Breath." I took a deep breathe. Then another, and then another. "I'm fine," I told her. "You sure? We can go," she said. "No it's fine, let's go sit down," I said and she nodded. "I know the perfect place," she said. She pulled me over to a spot that was confidently right next to the boys. They didn't seem to notice us. "I just have to run up to my house and grab something, why can't you just watch her?" the one with the little girl asked. "Why don't you take her with you?" the other one asked and the one with the little girl shook his head. "She wants to stay here. C'mon it'll take like five minutes!" he said and the other one nodded. "Alright," he said and took the little girl. "Sethy!" she shrieked. "I'll be back in a little while, ok Clair-Bear?" the other one said and she nodded. "Okay," she said and the boy started running up the beach.

"Let's introduce ourselves," Becca said and I shook my head. "He looks busy," I said. He was swinging the little girl around and she was laughing her head off. I rubbed a scar. "C'mon! Pretty please?" she asked. I sighed, "Fine," I whispered. She jumped up then helped me up. We walked over to the boy, Seth, who was laughing just as hard as the little girl. "Hi!" Becca said and he turned to us with a smile. "I'm Rebecca, and this is my sister Riley," she introduced. He smiled, "I'm Seth," he said. I rubbed faster. He looked Rebecca up and down and then he looked me up and down. Good. He didn't seem to recognize either of us. "So what are you doing at the beach?" she asked. He looked down at the little girl, "Babysitting, apparently," he said. "Cool. How old are you?" Becca asked. "Sixteen," he answered. Becca raised an eyebrow, "Really? You look a lot older," she said and he laughed. "Everyone says that," he said. He looked at me, "It's really cloudy out, why are you wearing sunglasses?" he asked. He didn't sound mean. Just curious. "It's really cold out, why are you shirtless?" I retorted. He smiled, but turned back to Becca, "Did you guys just move here?" he asked. "Yeah, how'd you know?" she answered. "It's a pretty small place. Everyone knows everyone, and I haven't seen you around before today," he said. She nodded. Suddenly a sharp gust of wind knocked my sunglasses off. I bent down as quick as I could to get them before anyone could see, but Seth had already grabbed them. "Here you-" he stopped when he saw my eyes.

**SO what do you think of Chapter 1? REVIEW AND FAVORITE AND FOLLOW! Two reviews and I'll update. Disclaimer- I don't own anything Twilight. **

**~Cara**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I snatched them out of his hands and quickly put them on. I waited for him to say something, but he just kept staring. Staring and staring, like everyone always does. I spun on my heel and made my way back to our car. I distantly heard Becca say, "Seriously? What's your problem?" I climbed into the car and sat waiting for her. When people see me it's like they instantly think _what a freak. _They don't stop to wonder how it happened; they just stare or steer clear of me. Once when I was twelve I went to the store with my mom and a little boy came up to me. He asked, "What happened to your face?" before I had a chance to answer his mom appeared out of nowhere and ushered him away. She didn't tell him to say sorry or apologize for his rudeness, like you would think she would, instead she said, "Don't look at her, Henry." She said it loud enough for everyone to hear. And then she looked at me like I was some kind of monster. Just because of a few burns around my eyes. The next day I bought a pair of huge dark sunglasses big enough to cover up all of the burns.

Becca pulled open the door and sat down in the driver's seat. "You ok?" she asked. I nodded, "I'm fine. It's not like he did anything," I said. She bit her lip, but didn't say anything. We drove home in silence. Mom was waiting on the porch when we got back, "Are you guys ok? Did anything happen? You were out for a while," she said in a rush. "Were fine," I told her. Becca glanced down at her watch, "Yeah and we were only gone for an hour," she said. "A lot can happen in an hour," I heard my mom whisper. She plastered on an obviously fake smile, "Did you have fun?" she asked. "Yeah. We went to the beach. It was a blast," I said and pushed past her. I made my way up the stairs down the hall and into my room. I closed the door then walked over to the full length mirror next to my closet and took off my sunglasses. I was used to the way I looked. A soft jaw, long curly brown hair, bow shaped lips, and big hazel eyes. I'd probably have been pretty if it weren't for the flaming red marks around my eyes. My pale skin only made them stand out more. I rolled up one of my sleeves and examined my arm. Long silvery white scars covered it. Suddenly I wasn't in my room anymore.

_I was in a basement chained to a pillar. It would've been pitch black if it wasn't for the fire burning across from me. Oh god. Not this! No, no, please not this! He was there, standing right in front of me holding something in the fire. He turned around with a nasty smile on his face holding a red hot poker right in front of my face. "Pretty little thing," he murmured. My eyes were wide as I stared at the poker, "Please don't. Please no!" I shrieked. He didn't seem to hear me. Instead he carefully placed the poker right next to my eyes. I screamed and screamed and screamed. "Not so pretty anymore," I heard him say. _

"Riley! I'm right here. It's going to be alright. You're ok. I won't let him hurt you ever again," I heard Becca whisper to me, but I could barely hear her. I heard a wolf howl in the distance. My hands went up to my eyes, "It burns!" I screamed, "Make it stop, Becca! Make it stop!" It hurt. It hurt so much. I heard Becca start to cry, "Oh Rye. Shhh, I'm here now," I heard her say. The world started coming back into focus. I wasn't in the basement anymore. I was in my room wrapped up in Becca's arms. I could still hear the wolf howling. I clutched her and cried, "I'm sorry Becca," I whispered. "Shhh, Shhh, you have nothing to be sorry about," she said. "It's not your fault." I let go of her and sat upright, "H-h-how long?" I asked. "About an hour," she answered. Oh. It felt like longer. It might've been eleven years ago, but I can still remember ever y little detail of what happened. I'll never forget. "I'm going to go downstairs and grab you some dinner," she said, "sound good?" I nodded. Becca was always there for me, she was the only one who could bring me back when I had a "fit" as the doctors like to call it. Not even my parents could do that. She smoothed back my hair, "Alright. I'll be back in five," she told me. I nodded and she was off.

When he gave me back to my parents I was blind. Two years and six eye surgeries later I got my 20/20 vision back. I still remember, though, the never ending darkness. I sighed and got up. I needed a bit of fresh air. I stepped out onto the balcony and felt the nice, cold air on my skin. I looked down into our backyard and that's when I noticed it. Our backyard was completely torn up. The lush, green grass that had been there just this morning was completely uprooted and all I saw was dirt. It was like some crazy animal had gone on a rampage in my backyard. Weird. Mom is going to flip out. "Rye?" I heard Becca say. "Out here," I answered and in a second she was next to me. "Whatcha looking at?" she asked. I pointed to the backyard and she looked down. "Oh. My. Gosh. Mom is going to flip out! What happened?" she asked. I shrugged, "Beats me. Maybe a bunch of drunk kids did it?" I suggested. "Or maybe it was a monster that lives in the Forks Forest!" she announced and I snorted. "Yeah Becca, of course that's the only logical explanation," I said and she grinned. "Right?" She handed me a plate loaded with mashed potatoes, turkey, corn, and rice. "Whoa! Nobody told me it was Thanksgiving!" I said with a laugh. She shrugged, "I decided to go all out," she said. I gave one last look at our messed up backyard and headed back into my room. I set the plate down on my desk and started devouring the food.

"How is it?" she asked. "Great, as always," I answered. She sat on the floor next to me, "I think it was a wolf that tore up the backyard," she said. I raised an eyebrow, "Really? Why?" I asked. "While you were…um…doing that… I heard a wolf howl. It sounded really, really close," she said. I plastered on a smile, "Well you should be happy then, shouldn't you?" I asked. Becca has this crazy obsession with wolves. "I only like the things when they aren't destroying our brand new backyard," she said. I smiled, "Well I'm going to go get ready for bed," I said. "Alright," she said and waved goodbye, walking down the hall to her room. I walked across the hall to the bathroom Becca and I now shared I quickly got undressed, avoiding the mirror, and took a quick shower. When I got out I French braided my hair, got into my PJ's and climbed into bed. It wasn't long before I was fast asleep.

_"MOMMY! DADDY! BECKY! Help, anyone please help me!" Isobbed. The man laughed and stepped closer to grabbed my face and whispered, "Stop crying. Mommy and daddy can't hear you. No one can hear you. No one is coming." I cried harder. Where was my mommy and daddy? Why weren't they hear. He started laying things out infront of me. Knives and hammers. My eyes grew wide and I tried to scramble away, but the chains kept me in place. "Stay still. It won't hurt if you stay still," he hissed. "MOMMY!" I screeched. He shook his head, "Tisk, tisk, tisk," he said. He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a shot thig. Like the one the doctors use. It was full of some sort of red liquid. "Red will make you stay still," he whispered. He grabbed my hand and held it still as he carefully inserted the thing into me. I screamed, but suddenly I couldn't move. I tried to, but I couldn't. "See? All better," he said. He picked up a knife. "Now then. Lets get started."_

I woke up screaming and covered in sweat. Becca was in my doorway her eyes wide with fear, "Riley?" she asked. "Yeah?" I answered. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" she asked. I nodded gratefully and climbed out of bed. She took my hand and led me to her room. I climbed into her bed and she climbed in next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. I sighed, "It was the first day. The first time he started hurting me," I told her. "Oh Riley," she said and went quiet for a second. "It's OK," I whispered, "I'm fine. Goodnight," I said. She took a deep breath, "Night Rye," she whispered. I was back to sleep in minutes and this time I didn't have any bad dreams.

_Next Morning_

I smiled at the pretty curls; a result of sleeping with a french braid. Suddenly Becca bounced into the bathroom, "I want some ice cream. Will you go get ice cream with me?" she asked. I laughed, "Sure," I told her. I already had my sunglasses on so I followed her downstairs and out t he door, "Ice cream run!" she yelled then waited for a second. "Blueberry Bananna Twist!" I heard dad yell. "Do you want me to come with you?" I heard my mom yell. We looked at each other then both shouted, "NO!" I could practically hear her sigh even though she's a floor away. "Okay then. Caramal Chocolate Dash!" she yelled. We've done this since forever. If your going out for icecream you have to yell ICECREAM RUN! We'll shout what we want and you'll have to get it. It's a rule. A great thing about Forks is, is it's so tiny you can basicallly walk anywhere. It was cloudy out and I had a feeling it might rain so I grabbed an umbreallla and headed out the door. We walked for about ten minutes before coming up to an ice cream shop. We opened the door and a little _ding_ announced that we were here. I kept my head down and follwed Becca up to the counter. "Two small Blueberry Banna Twists, one small Caramal Chocolate Dash, and one small Cookies and Cream," she said. I was glad she knew me well enough to order for me. Suddenly I heard a mildly familiar voice, "I didn't know what to do. She sounded so scared," I heard him say. I turned to the source and saw the tall dark and handome biy that had stared at me yesterday.

So much for never seeing him again.

**Thank you thank you thank you for all of the reviews! I hope you guys like my new chapter. If you don't then go away, if you do then REVIEW. Oh my gosh did that just rhyme? Do review. HA it did! Anyway I just noticed that Rebecca is the name of Jacobs sister. I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean to do it. I also just noticed that Riley is the name of that psycotic (is that how you spell that?) vampire with the newborn army. REALLY sorry about that! At least he's dead. Alright so that's all. I've also just decided that I won't update until I get 10 reviews total. Right now I'm at six so it won't be that hard. THAT'S ALL!**

**~Cara**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the original Twilight characters. **

**So sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I'm still looking for a co-writer, so you know if you're interested just PM me. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to JCreader who has commented on every chapter. If you like it then REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS!**

**~Cara**

Chapter 3

As if he sensed me staring he turned around and started grinning. I waited for him to laugh. I waited for him to call me a freak or ugly or maybe just stare like he did at the beach. I rubbed a scar as he walked closer. He didn't stare or laugh or call me a name he just said, "I'm Seth, we met at the beach. Remember?" I didn't say anything; I just spun on my heel and walked back over to Rebecca who was trying to hold four ice cream cones. I take two, "C'mon Rebecca. I wanna go home," I said. She frowned, "Why do you-" she stopped short when she saw him. Her eyes narrowed and she shot him her famous "I'll kill you and I'll do it with a smile on my face" glare. He didn't shrink away. "Did he say something to you?" she whispered, her eyes still locked on him. I shook my head, "Can we please go?" I asked. She nodded, "Yeah," she said and I started to follow her out of the door. "Wait!" he yelled. I didn't stop. He grabbed my arm. I couldn't hear what he said. All I could see was _him. _I wasn't in the ice cream shop anymore.

_He grabbed my arm, "Stay still," he ordered. I thrashed around. He was going to hurt me again; I could see it in his eyes. I glanced at the weapons on the table. He grabbed me by the neck, "I said stay still!" he screamed then let go of my neck, pushing me into the pillar. My head started to throb. He grabbed a syringe, that's what the shots were called he told me, and stuck in a bottle of bright green liquid. Bright green like the color of Becca's room. Becca would make the bullies stop being mean to me on the playground, and she promised that she would never let anyone hurt me. She can't stop him, though. No one can stop him. He turned around and squatted down in front of me, "Let's try the green now, shall we," he said. I shook my head, "Please, please, please, please, no," I whispered. He slapped me, "Shut up Riley," he said. He smiled at me then put the syringe on my arm in the same place he always put them. He pushed it into me. I didn't feel anything for a second, but then everything started to hurt. I screamed._

"Riley. Riley, he's gone now. Riley it's me. It's Becca, your sister. I'm right here, Ok? I'll never let him hurt you again," she I heard Becca say. Everything came back into focus. Becca was holding me and rocking me back and forth. I couldn't catch my breath, "B-B-B-Becca," I tried to say. My head was still pounding even though I hit it eleven years ago. She sighed in relief, "Hey Riles. You ok?" she asked. I took a deep breath and nodded, "I-I-I- how long?" I asked. "It doesn't really matter," she said. I frowned, "How long?" I asked. "Three hours," she said. Three? "Do mom and dad know?" I asked. She shook her head, "When I got back they were gone. They didn't even wait for their ice cream," she said. "Don't tell them. I don't want to go back there," I said. She nodded, "I won't. But they're going to find out, and when they do-" I cut her off. "Just don't tell them," I said. She sighed. I finally took a few seconds to see where I was. I was in Becca's room sitting on her bed. "Guess who is waiting downstairs?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Beach Boy," she said. I took in a sharp breath, "He's here?" I asked. Why is he here? Becca actually let someone who looked at me to long into our house? She nodded, "He had a car and drove us home. Then he wouldn't leave. It's a little creepy, but if you want him gone then I'll go tell him," she said. I took a second to think. He saw me having a "fit", drove me home, then waited for three hours downstairs? Why? I looked down at myself. I was covered in sweat. I looked at a piece of my hair. It wasn't curly anymore, it was damp and limp. I didn't want him to see me like this. I don't know why but for some reason I kind of wanted to impress him. I nodded, "Can you please tell him I say thank you?" I asked. She nodded and got out of the bed, heading towards the door. "And Becca," I said and she turned around, "Tell him if he wants he can come back tomorrow," I said. Her face softened and she nodded.

I burrowed deeper into Becca's blankets. I didn't want to get her bed all gross and sweaty, but I was so tired. I felt drained even though I'd just woken up a few hours ago. My mind began to drift to _him. _I tried to block him out, but sometimes I just couldn't. I hated him so much for what he did to me. I want him to die. I want to hurt him like he hurt me. He stole my childhood. He stole my life. He took everything from me and I hate him more than anything for that. But I was also scared of him. Scared that he would fulfill the promise he made to me the day he let me go. Scared that he was going to take me again and it would happen again. Stop it. Stop thinking about him. Go to sleep. My eyes fluttered closed and this time I didn't dream about him.

I dreamt about Seth.

**I know this is short and I'm sorry about that, but like I said I'm having a bit of trouble with this story. Seriously if ANYONE wants to co-write with me the offer still stands. Also does anyone want Becca to get imprinted on?**

**~Cara**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello all! I've finally found a co-writer. So from this point on Riley will be written by me and JCreader. JCreader actually wrote a lot of this chapter. **

Chapter 4

I walked down stairs, looking for Becca; I had decided I didn't want to talk to Seth. He saw me at my most vulnerable and I'm sure he has questions, but I didn't want to face him. I wasn't ready for that.  
As I walked into the living room a voice brought me out of my musings. "Are you okay?" a husky voice asked, making me jump. Seth. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He was looking at me with a look of pity, I was used to it, and if it wasn't disgust it was pity. I should have expected this, he probably felt guilty. I started scratching my wrist.

"I'm fine, I just freak out sometimes, it's nothing." he didn't look convinced, he was just staring at me as if my every word was vital. Maybe he isn't that bad, a voice in my head said. Maybe he won't judge you. No, after years of stares you get used to the looks of judgment, people place you into categories. Either thinking it was an accident and you're a victim or you did something to deserve it.

Seth didn't seem to be the same as every else though.

I looked into his eyes and suddenly they were filled with venom. "You know you looked ridiculous screaming in an ice cream parlor." A smirk reaching his lips. I suddenly felt my knees go weak and sweat reach my forehead. I started to scratch more at my wrists. "I mean you were screaming as if I were going to kill you or something, what am I just that scary?" He continued.  
I didn't say anything, I couldn't. He was looking at me with such pity and loathing in his eyes, I couldn't say anything.  
"Look at you; you're just a sad thing aren't you?" he says walking towards me. Suddenly he grabs my arm, I try to squirm away, but it's no use. It never is. He burst out laughing when he sees my wrist. Where's Becca? "Are you suicidal?" he continues laughing. **(A/N By the way we don't mean to offend anyone with this. Suicide is a sad and strong topic)** my gulp, tears forming in my eyes. "Your pathetic." he spits out, while pushing me away and walking towards the door.

I fall to the ground hyperventilating, tears falling down my cheeks. As he opens the door I see Becca laughing outside in the arms of one of Seth's friends. I continue to scratch at my wrist, while tears cloud my vision. Will my nightmare ever end? I gasp as I jump out of bed, I see nothing but darkness. "It was a dream." I whisper in a hoarse voice. "It was only a dream." I feel tears dripping down my face, as I lay back down and before I close my eyes I swear I could hear a wolf howling.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down, then climbed out of Becca's bed and made my way over to the bathroom. I took a few seconds to look in the mirror. My dark hair hung limply down to my waist. It looked like I hadn't washed it in weeks. My face was as white as a sheet making the red marks around my eyes stand out more. It was mostly 3rd degree burn scars but there were a few scars cuts. There was one from the corner of my left eyebrow to the corner of my right eye. My sunglasses covered most of that one up. There were only two scars that my sunglasses didn't cover at all. One from my temple to my chin and another on my jaw. I sighed and got into the shower. I took a lot longer than I usually do then spent fifteen minutes dragging a comb through my knotted hair then pulled it into a high ponytail.

After putting on a pair of sweatpants and a pajama shirt I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed an apple from the fridge and glanced at the clock on the microwave. 9:15. All I ever do is sleep. I'm always so tired. I'll get up and I'll start to go somewhere, but then I'll have a fit or I'll get to scared and I'll get tired. Then I'll sleep the day away. I don't like leaving the house much. In the house I'm safe. No one can hurt me here. I thought back to my dream. Seth laughing at me and saying those things to me. Dream Seth was right. I'm pathetic. I wish I was stronger, strong enough to go outside without jumping at every little sound. I wonder if Seth will say those things to me tomorrow. Or will he even come? Does he think I'm pathetic? Stop it Riley. It doesn't matter what he thinks. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks except for me. And now I sound like Becca. I took a bite out of my apple. Where is Becca?

"Becca?" I yelled. "In here!" I heard her yell back. I walked into the living room and saw her lying down on the couch watching a movie with the sound on low. "I thought you were asleep," she said and started turning up the TV. "I just woke up," I said and sat down in the chair next to the couch. "What are we watching?" I asked. "Stuck in Love," she said. I smiled, Becca doesn't really like romances. She does, however, like Logan Lerman. Or love. "I know you're not going to hurt me, Logan," she said to the TV. "I'm pretty sure he was talking to Sam," I said. She frowned, "Nope," she said. She turned to look at me, "Beach Boy put up quite a fight when I told him he had to go," she said. I found myself smiling, "Really?" I asked. "Yup, he only left when I said he could come over tomorrow," she told me. I smiled and turned to the TV. Maybe Seth likes me. He doesn't seem like the type to be a jerk. He seemed more like the… happy bubbly type.

"I think he has a bit of a crush on you," she told me. "A crush?" I asked. "Yes Rye, a crush. It's this magical thing where a boy likes a girl," she said. "You think he likes me?" I asked. She nodded, "Maybe not even like. Maybe loooooooove," she said and wiggled her eyebrows. I threw a pillow at her, "Not funny," said. "I'm not laughing. I really do think he likes you," she said. "You don't even like him," I said. She shrugged, "I don't like anybody. BUT maybe he's ok," she told me. "Really?" I asked. "Plus he's totally yummy," she said. I laughed, "Becca!" "Oh please, you were thinking it to," she said. Seth is pretty hot. I turned over to the TV, "Alright, be quiet. I wanna watch the movie," I told her. She laughed and turned to watch the movie. Unlike her I love romances. After about twenty minutes I got out of the chair and curled up next to Becca. "I want popcorn," she whispered in my ear. I rolled my eyes and jumped off the couch. I grabbed a bag of popcorn from the pantry and stuck it in the microwave. I glanced out the window and what I saw made me scream.

Becca ran into the kitchen, "Riley! What happened! Are you ok?" she asked, her eyes wide and afraid. I pointed out of the window and she ran over to me and looked through it, "I don't see anything," she said. "It was as big as a bear," I whispered. "What was?" she asked. "A wolf."

**Soooo what do you think of chapter 4? How about I update when I get five reviews? ALSO who do you want to imprint on Becca? I have a wolf in mind, but I want to know what you guys think. Thank you JCreader for co-writing with me! That's all.**

**~Cara**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"He's here!" Becca said standing in my doorway. I closed my book and glanced at the clock, "It's seven in the morning," I told her. She shrugged, "He's still here," she said. I climbed down my bed and grabbed my sunglasses. "Ok, ok," I said. I followed her downstairs, but stopped when I saw him. Is he going to laugh at me? Is he going to tell me what a freak I am? I looked over at Becca who nodded encouragingly then I walked over to him. "Um… hi," I whispered so softly I doubted he could hear me. He did. He shot up and he jumped up off of the couch. "Riley. Are you ok? What happened to you yesterday?" he asked. I stared at me feet and started rubbing my wrist. "I'm fine, I just freak out sometimes, it's nothing," I said, quoting dream me. He didn't look at me with pity. More like… well he looked a little scared. Scared? I looked up from my feet and into his eyes, waiting for the venom. I waited for him to tell me how ridiculous I looked.

He didn't.

"A-are you sure? Riley, are you sure you're ok?" he asked. Suddenly I was angry. Why does everyone ask if I'm ok even when I already say I am? Why can't they just listen? "Yes I already told you that! Why are you even here?" I yelled. I regretted it when I saw the look on his face. He looked defeated. "You said I could come," he said. I bit my lip, "I remember. Why are you here so early, though?" I asked. "I wanted to see if you were ok," he said. I sighed and sat down on the couch, "Yeah, you and everyone else," I said. He sat down next to me, "What do you mean?" he asked. I looked at him for a second, "It's nothing," I said. He frowned and looked like he was going to question me further, but he didn't. "Why did you wait down here for three hours yesterday?" I asked. He smiled, "I lo- I like you," he said. "You like me? But we only just met," I said. Not to mention you saw what my face looks like behind the sunglasses. He shrugged, "I know," he said.

He likes me? How could he like me? Even though I went through what I went through I can still recognize a good looking guy when I see one, and Seth well he was hot. He's lying a voice in my head said. How can anyone like you? You're a charity case; if he's here it's to investigate what happened to you. He wants to know, so he can then go show off to his friends. I felt tears in my eyes so I quickly faced away from Seth hoping he didn't notice.

He did. "Riley, I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" he asked, his voice getting softer almost as if he was afraid he would make it worse. "No. It's nothing," I told him looking down. I looked back up into his eyes, "Why do you like me? You've seen what my face really looks like," I said, my voice deadly calm. After years of reactions to my face I've learned to cover up what I'm feeling. To some people it might seem like I don't care, but my family knows the truth. I'm scared of all the judgment. But then again, who isn't? "I know, but that doesn't matter. That's only physical, it's what's on the inside that matters," he said. It wasn't the right time to do it, but my emotions seemed to have gone haywire. I laughed. It was so cheesy and such a Becca thing to say that I couldn't help but laugh. I laughed and laughed and when I looked up Seth was smiling. He had a confused look on his face, but he was still smiling. "Sit down," I said. He did and I sat down next to him.

"We just met two days ago and already we're having a melodramatic moment," I said. He laughed at that. He didn't seem embarrassed that I had laughed at him, just happy that I was happy. "I think we should learn a bit more about each other," I said. He nodded, "What do you want to know? I'm an open book," he said with a grin. He had a smile that made me want to smile. "Well, what's your favorite color?" I asked. He thought about it for a second, "Red," he said, "Yours?" I didn't have to think about it, "Blue. You're turn," I said. "What's your favorite animal?" he asked. I thought back to the wolf in my backyard last night, "Cats," I said. That made him laugh, "Dogs," he said and I smiled a little. "If you could be any animal what would you be?" I asked. "A wolf," he said, smiling like he had some kind of secret. Hmmm. "Why do you wear those sunglasses?" he asked. Suddenly the happy mood was gone and you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

My hand went over to my wrist and I rubbed a scar, "I…well…It's not…It's not the prettiest face, you know? When people can't see so much of it, they don't judge as much," I said. He stiffened and started shaking a bit. Weird. He grabbed my hand, I wanted to pull away but I didn't. He felt hot. "You're beautiful. You know that, don't you?" he asked. Now I did pull away. I looked down at me feet and adjusted my sunglasses. He reached up, as if to touch my face, but then thought better of it. I bit my lip, "You sound just like my sister," I said, in barely more than a whisper. He smiled a little bit, "Your sister's right," he said. I liked his voice, it was happy and bubbly. "I have a question," he said with a smile. "What?" I asked. "Do you want to go see a movie with me?" he asked. I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks, "Like…like a date?" I asked.

**I feel really, really horrible for making this chapter so short. Also for ending it like this. Okay so I'm sorry for ending it like this... but still. Next chapter will be A LOT longer I SWEAR Maybe even three thousand words if you guys are good. I WANT 5 REVIEWS! Please! Okay so that's all.**

**Disclaimer- We're obviously not Stephenie Meyer so none of the original Twilight stuff belongs to us. **


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